Do you need lofting poles for pigeon shooting?

Pigeon shooting expert
PETER THEOBALD
I have never used lofting poles in ordinary decoying situations, as there is seldom any need to attract pigeons to trees.

An exception may be when you are decoying on a standing crop and it is difficult to present your layout effectively.

Then it may be a better bet to use lofters, preferably in a dead tree, or at least one that has bare branches, so that the decoys are clearly visible.

However, I wouldn’t lose any sleep if I didn’t own a set of poles – the times you really need them are few and far between.

As ever, be extra careful if you do use lofting poles because of the dangers posed by overhead electricity cables.

Make absolutely SURE there are no wires being concealed by the trees you plan to place decoys into – in fact leave the poles in the car if there are any wires in the close vicinity because electricity can arc across two poles, causing electrocution, and death.